On July 10th, we’ll fly from Atlanta to LAX, where we will meet the rest of our team, and from there we’ll fly to Hawaii and then on to American Samoa.

Right now we’re just counting down the days and trying to figure out how to even begin making a packing list. So far I have written sunscreen, kindle, camera, and clothes. I’m sure there are other things I need to add… I feel like all I’ve been doing lately is making lists.

All through college, I typically handled the stress of finals week (which mainly consisted of 10-15pg essays in every class rather than actual tests–yay for English studies!) by reading several unrelated books instead of researching and writing papers. This habit seems to be a hard one to break. I should be checking off lists and finishing paperwork, but instead I’ve been spending a lot of time with friends and reading/listening to books. Our library loans e-books and e-audio books (yay!), and now that I have an ipod (thanks, Clay!), I’ve been downloading audio books that I hope to use in my classroom.

I just finished listening to The Year of Fog by Michelle Richmond. Unfortunately I think it’s too advanced overall for a high-school class, but I hope to use sections of it at least. The story at the heart of the novel is absolutely heart-wrenching, but the book is as much about memory as it is about the plot. I prefer to go into books/movies blindly (without reading the cover or knowing what it’s about at all, really), so that’s all I’ll say, but you can click on the title above if you’d like to know more.

In other news, we have raised about 3/4 of our fundraising goal (yay!). We’re having a Settlers of Catan tournament on June 11th. This will be our last fundraiser, so I hope you can make it! There will be prizes for everyone at the winning table, and snacks will be provided. The entry fee is just a donation to our trip.

Several people have asked us about supporting us while we’re in AmSam. We will be able to access to our paypal account while we’re abroad, so if you’d like to make a donation in the future please feel free to do so through paypal. :)

Oh, also, if your church (Kennesaw/Woodstock area) offers ESL courses in the evenings or on weekends, please let us know! Wes still needs 5 hours to complete the observation requirement.

I think that’s it, really. I have no idea when we’ll find out what we’re teaching or where we’ll be living but I’ll post that information as soon as we get it. Hopefully we’ll see you in the next seven weeks!

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About Cat Q.

For three years, I lived on a tiny little island in the South Pacific called Ta'u, where I taught elementary and high school English. Much of this blog is a chronicle of my time there, and of the travels we were able to do while we were on that side of the world. Now, I'm doing a different kind of travelling in the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia with my husband and two children.

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Disclaimer

The thoughts and opinions expressed on this blog are my own and do not reflect those of the American Samoa Department of Education, Manu'a High School, the WorldTeach organization, or any other palagis living and teaching in the south pacific.